I know to photocopy my passport, but I dont need a visa, so is there anything else I need to photocopy in case I lose stuff?
What about the eurail pass... if I lose it will a photocopy help? Things like that...

“Life is too short to spend it doing something you don't like... if your passion is selling surfboards by the sea, then that is where you should be.”
-My Dad

"Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once." -Anthony Bourdain
“If you can imagine a man having a vasectomy without anesthetic to the sound of frantic sitar-playing, you will have some idea what popular Turkish music is like.” -Bill Bryson

"The older I get the less likely I feel I will ever figure my life out... I think that might be okay though"
-Me

A photocopy of your rail pass won't help, but forking over the $10-15 for railpass insurance will!!

You can keep copies of your important documents in a "secure" place in your backpack, but personally-- rather than run the risk of my bag getting stolen and some creep having access to all that personal info IN ADDITION to all my stuff, I prefer to scan the copies and email them to myself before leaving. That way you can access them at any internet cafe.

In addition to my passport, I also copy/scan my plane tickets, birth certificate, social security card, driver's license and any credit / bank cards I might take with me. I also email myself the phone numbers of appropriate institutions like banks and embassy addresses just in case. (On the other hand, I already have my passport number and all of my card numbers memorized, in addition to the telephone numbers. That helps.) Maybe that's being a little over cautious, but you know what they say about paranoia... you only have to be right once to make it all worthwhile.

“Life is too short to spend it doing something you don't like... if your passion is selling surfboards by the sea, then that is where you should be.”
-My Dad

"Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once." -Anthony Bourdain
“If you can imagine a man having a vasectomy without anesthetic to the sound of frantic sitar-playing, you will have some idea what popular Turkish music is like.” -Bill Bryson

"The older I get the less likely I feel I will ever figure my life out... I think that might be okay though"
-Me

We usually leave a copy of all our docs with someone in the family, and I love the email yourself docs idea, that is brilliant. But good to have a hard copy somewhere (like with parents or in a separate part of your gear), just in case you can't get online for some reason...

For still-living-at-home travellers, leaving copies of your docs with your parents can also be psychologically good in getting their support. "Look mom, you can help me, and I guarantee I'll call you if I ever need ANYTHING!" She loves you and it'll be easier for her to let you go if she knows you still need her and will tell her if you need help!

In addition to my passport, I also copy/scan my plane tickets, birth certificate, social security card, driver's license and any credit / bank cards I might take with me. I also email myself the phone numbers of appropriate institutions like banks and embassy addresses just in case.

Be VERY, VERY careful doing this. E-mails are not secure, and that would be a hacker's wet dream to grab your e-mail with a copy of your social security card, birth certificate, DL, credit card numbers AND passport. Holy shit!! Talk about identity theft...you could be really and truly screwed if someone got their hands on all those documents. That is a complete kit for identity theft on a silver platter.

Not trying to sound alarmist, but I DO NOT agree with doing all that. Passport...maybe okay (but still risky) as it has no social security number on it....but forget the other things...leave them with a friend or family member. Identity theft is not worth it.

LFOD, that's a very good point. Knowing that I did it anyway, because I figured there was perhaps a greater chance of my passport getting lost or stolen while traveling than my generic email address getting hacked into. There are risks everywhere, no matter what you do. But that's also why I sent individual documents to different email addresses. I have 4 email addys and split them up.